The present invention relates to an engine.
Reciprocating internal combustion engines are susceptible to a number of problems. In particular, their reciprocation which in turn is converted into rotation causes wear and vibration problems. Their design necessitates the use of a crankshaft, and in slow-speed reciprocating piston engines developing high powers the use of crossheads, piston rods and connecting rods, which result in a bulky engine and may give rise to problems. They operate best on high quality expensive fuels and are inherently ill adapted to using a variety of fuels. Their geometrical design dictates a cycle of operation whereby, in the two-stroke reciprocating piston engine, exhaust of the combustion gasses expanding in the working cylinder takes place well before their crankshaft completes one half of a revolution, i.e. less than half of the cycle duration, and by doing so the combustion gasses leave the cylinder before they have been given a sufficient time to convert a large portion of their heat energy into useful mechanical work by sweeping as much volume as possible during the power stroke, thus resulting in a high percentage of exhaust gas losses and a relatively low engine efficiency. In addition, the conventional reciprocating internal combustion engines occupy a large amount of space, especially in a vertical direction.